05 December 2008 12:51 PM

Nicholls made right decision quitting the Elite League

Scott Nicholls' decision to quit British speedway racing next year could be the making of him - but his fellow Grand Prix stars need to be careful not to ostracise themselves completely from the Elite League.

In the past, I had questioned whether Nicholls should have even been handed a wildcard for the Grand Prix series in 2009.

But I was never totally against his inclusion because, frankly, there's nobody else that could represent Great Britain.

Chris Harris may have won a shock GP in 2007 but Nicholls performed far better than his British counterpart last year even if his points tally didn't necessarily show it.

I just thought the fact Nicholls has now received SIX wildcards because GB has nobody else good enough summed up the state of British speedway.

And I feel Nicholls' time in the GP would have been spent a long time ago had this country not been so devoid of talent.

That said, the fact there has been nobody to seriously challenge Nicholls has probably had an effect on him as it has put the expectation of a nation on one man's shoulders.

Nicholls has probably been the No.1 Brit since 2001, the year after Mark Loram won the title, and despite moderate challenges from Lee Richardson and Harris, he has remained the best GB has to offer.

Unfortunately, he has just been unable to win a GP in 68 attempts and every year battles just to stay in the series.

Now though, giving the Elite League amiss, means he will have fewer meetings and a chance to arrive at GPs fresher and more relaxed.

Last season, most riders rode around 40 meetings in the Elite, which is far too much when you’re competing in the World Championship.

However I reckon one of the reasons for Nicholls' decision to quit British racing, indirectly, is down to his club of last year, Eastbourne.

As soon as they told Nicki Pedersen where to go last year, the Dane decided to sit out the whole season in the Elite and concentrate on winning his third world title.

Some people questioned whether he would be able to win the championship without riding in the Elite - the so-called toughest league in the world.

But Pedersen proved the doubters wrong and he easily retained the title, putting in some vintage performances.

Jason Crump, who finished runner-up, also determined to win three world titles, has taken Pedersen's lead and, in October, decided he would not ride in the Elite in 2009.

World No.5 Hans Andersen has now also followed suit, stating the hectic British calendar as the biggest factor behind his decision.

Now Nicholls has decided to do the same. In a way, it's a desperate move, but it could also be his last chance.

At 30, he's not getting any younger, and he knows it.

Nicholls has been quoted as saying his decision to quit wasn't down to financial considerations but the amount of meetings required in Britain.

Of course, the nine Elite League promoters had a chance to change British speedway for the better at the BSPA conference last month.

They could have chosen a regular race night, as they do in Poland and Sweden, which many, including some of the riders, had championed for.

The BSPA could have also done away with the pointless Craven Shield which is raced at the end of the year when none of the riders give a monkey’s.

But no. They decided to dream up some ridiculous new point system, while blaming the 'credit crunch' for not being able to resign GP stars, as Lakeside did with Andreas Jonsson.

With Crump, Andersen and Jonsson now gone, we've gone from having four of the top eight in 2008 riding in the Elite League to just one.

That one being Leigh Adams and I wonder, on reflection, whether the Aussie regrets his decision to sign for Swindon again.

With Nicholls now gone too, it leaves just four GP riders out of 15 to ride in the Elite in 2009 - with Harris, Freddie Lindgren and Kenneth Bjerre likely to join Adams - meaning the likes of Davey Watt will now be riding No.1 at Eastbourne.

I've nothing against Watt but he isn't a No.1 yet. Then again, in the 'new' Elite he should hold his own as he will be up against virtually no GP riders.

The only thing I will say in favour of the promoters is the GP riders need to be careful what they say about the Elite League.

There is an argument that why should clubs conform to what the GP stars want by having less meetings when that will mean less cash and less meetings for punters - even if it is against the same team every week - an argument made by both Crump and Andersen.

Although both have been quick to say they would consider returning to England in the future.

The GP stars' other argument is money. Andersen told Speedway Star this week: 'Britain is the place where you ride the most to earn the least'.

Another dangerous comment because with the lucrative Russian League now in crisis and the Polish and Swedish Leagues both in trouble, this country might be the only place where GP riders will be able to earn money in the future.

When asked about whether former GP rider Mikael Max might return to Monmore Green next season, Wolves boss Chris Van Straaten said: 'He's been in touch to say he's interested in riding inEngland again which is good news. I think the situation with Swedish speedway is worrying him a little.'

That could just be Van Stratten trying to make the situation sound worse than it is but it's certainly food for thought for the GP stars.

As for Nicholls, let's hope he comes good in the Grand Prix and proves that he deserves his wildcard.

Now that he's blown out the Elite League for now, he may just surprise us.